A visit to Forte Music
–by Mary Helen Darah
PUBLICATION DATE: April 17, 2018

Virgil Lupu, a 35-year-old entrepreneur, makes this “old dog” want to learn a few new tricks. Ever since visiting Forte Music, located at 3208 W. Sylvania Ave., I have had the urge to dust off my piano and find my guitar that has been tucked away in the depths of my attic. Forte Music has been in operation since 2006 but it was under different management. Lupu, a violinist from Romania, took over the school from the previous owner in 2014. “The mountain of paperwork made him tired and he was looking for some fresh blood,” recalled Lupu. “There were 150 students when I took over. We now have 500. It has been a crazy, steep growth that we are all very proud of.”

Lupu balances his time between Forte Music and performing with the Toledo Symphony. Originally from Romania, he has been in the U.S. for 10 years. He received an undergraduate degree from the Bowling Green State University and his master’s degree from the Cincinnati Conservatory. “I was on full scholarship and graduated without any student loans, which is very fortunate when owning a business,” he stated. Forte Music offers music lessons for all ages … even middle-aged piano lesson dropouts like myself.

“We instruct children to adults on all instruments,” stated Lupu. “I would say 70 percent of our students are school kids and 30 percent are adults and homeschooled. We are open during the day and there are plenty of open times before 3 p.m. If anyone wants to get the dust off an instrument and take something off your bucket list, we are here to help.”

The school started with roughly 10 teachers and currently has over 35 instructors. “I used to run the front desk all by myself and drive myself crazy,” recalled Lupu. “Now we have three desk helpers, which is such a relief. We offer lessons in voice, piano, guitar, winds, brass, and strings. As we say, if you name it, we teach it. We even give ukulele lessons, which seems to be gaining popularity. Our motto is ‘Find your forte.’ People find their forte with lessons and I found my forte by figuring out how to make us more organized and run efficiently.”

One of the most rewarding things for Lupu is seeing the impact the school has had on the community. “I also enjoy discovering the talent in this area and witnessing the success stories of our kids,” he stated. “Our kids perform at all kinds of events including the Indian festival, Islamic festival, churches, Christmas at the Manor House and at Walleye games. I enjoy seeing how they respond to the music lessons. Obviously, we are doing something right. Knowing that people are appreciating music and seeing the value it has to a person’s education gives me hope. The music will never die.”

The school has a relatively large number of students in a small community. “We hope to expand the parking lot to accommodate more,” said Lupu. Adding additional instructors is a far greater process for Lupu. “What makes us stand out is the high quality of teachers,” he stated. “I get a high number of resumes, but I am extremely picky when it comes to selecting our instructors.”

The man at the helm of Forte Music believes that music can have an impact on your life no matter how seriously you commit to it, which is wonderful news for yours truly. Lupu said, “We have so many parents pleased with how their kids are doing in school. Music forces you to focus. In this day and age of instant gratification, it teaches you to earn and work toward your goals. The biggest thing that music does is to encourage discipline, which can be transferred to other areas of your life.” I suggested to Lupu that perhaps taking up the piano again or strumming my old guitar would mean I would finally have a balanced checkbook to which he replied, “I’m a musician, not a miracle worker.”